Why It's Important to Update Windows Security

If you're concerned about hackers, viruses, and malware, you'll need to update Windows security to ensure that you Windows operating system has all of the latest patches from Microsoft as well as keep your system protected with antivirus and antispyware software. By keeping your system patched with the latest Microsoft update, Windows' security will be much better than if you skip this vital task. In addition, keeping your antivirus and antispyware software updated ensures that the newest computer viruses and malicious programs are less likely to infiltrate your system.

Why update Windows? Security starts with a patched operating system. Microsoft developers and malware makers are constantly playing a game of cat and mouse with the malware makers finding and taking advantage of system vulnerabilities and Microsoft developers repairing these vulnerabilities as soon as they discover them. By updating Windows, your computer will have the latest security fixes issued by Microsoft and, as a result, will be less vulnerable to exploitation. The same is true of your antivirus and antispyware programs.

Here's how to update Windows security in Windows Vista and Windows 7: Go to Start and click on the Control Panel link. Now find the Windows Update icon within the Control Panel. Clicking this icon will open a screen where you'll click "Check for updates." Windows will now check for the latest updates issued from Microsoft and then display whether or not updates are available, and if so describe the security updates. Double-click any available update to view detailed information about them and then select those that you want to apply by placing a checkmark in the appropriate checkbox. Click OK and the Windows security update will be installed.

After you update Windows security, you may be prompted to restart your computer in order for the update to take effect. Save your open documents, close all open programs, and restart your computer. Do not interrupt the reboot process and realize that restarting may take a few minutes longer than normal as Windows applies the security updates.

Because it is so important to update Windows, security professionals recommend that you set up automatic Windows updates. Again, you'll go to the Windows Updates icon in the Control Panel. In this case, you'll choose "Change Settings." In the next screen, select "Install updates automatically (recommended)" and choose a time and frequency for the updates. Make any other decisions listed and click OK. Now, your computer is set to automatically update itself with the latest Microsoft security updates!